Jughead's Birthday
by BlodreinaBeauty
Summary: Betty throws Jughead another birthday party! This time Jughead gets to pick what he is going to do for his birthday. Jughead has flashbacks of his old birthdays. Part of his quote, "PTSD from when I was a kid" about his birthday. This happens during season three, before or around the time they sing "Seventeen". They are both living in the old Cooper house together. Bughead!
1. Chapter 1

**Betty has a birthday event for Jughead. Going off of his statement from his last bday: "PTSD from when I was a kid." Why doesn't Jug like his birthday?**

**(Also: It's my birthday so I thought I'd post about Jug's birthday.)**

**Jughead POV.**

"_FP, could you put the boos down for five seconds so we can have a good birthday for our son!" Mom yells._

_I look over to Jellybean. She is staring down at the lame chocolate cake Mom made. No icing. No filling. No candles. Just a cake sitting in the center of the table and a box of Chinese in the corner. Yeah, happy thirteenth birthday to me._

"_Oh, relax," Dad says, pushing my moms hand out of his face and taking his beer back from her. I try to control the shaking of my hands. I clench my hands into fists as my mom puts a plate in front of me._

"_Happy birthday, Jughead," she says._

"Jug? Juggie? Are you okay?" Betty asks beside me. I shake my head, realizing I wasn't here.

"Betty, you'll never believe it but I think I'm having flashbacks from my demonic past," I say, shivering beside her. "It's chilling, Bets. I wish I could have one birthday without remembering what happened as a kid."

Her hand brushes over my bare arm and then down my chest. I look into her beautiful eyes as she travels her fingers along almost every inch of my body until they stop in my hair. It gives me the kind of chills that actually make me happy. I lean into her gentle touch. Betty smiles and takes my hand in hers, biting her lower lip.

"This is your day," she says. "What do you want to do?"

"You…again," I say, kissing her lips. She pulls away just a little, keeping that innocent smile on her face that I know how to get rid of in an instant. Sometimes it makes me smile because I know things about her no one else does. I know her more than anyone.

"You already did me," she says, half joking. "Three times this morning. But it's almost noon. What else do you want to do today?"

I shrug as she gets out of bed, resting my hands behind my head as I watch her bare body cover up in a pink skirt, a grey shirt with my crown on the front. She takes a brush to her hair, turning around to face me as she fixes it. I don't really care what she does as long as I get to watch.

"I love you, Betty," I say.

She gives me the most perfect smile in the world: the one that I fell in love with.

"I love you too," she says, setting her hair brush down.

"_We love you!" Mom shouts._

_I haven't heard that since my last birthday, which is awkward and strange. I don't even know how to react to that. What do I say? When was the last time Mom truly said that to me and meant it?_

"_Eat up! Look at this great Chinese food we have! Jug's favorite!" Dad says._

"_My favorite is burgers and milkshakes," I say. "With Betty and Archie. But this is great."_

_I try to ignore the look I get from my mom as she eats the food. We have two cartons. This is barely enough for a snack, much less an entire meal. I eat it anyway, realizing this is probably the only food I am going to have today. Dad drinks an entire beer and then opens another one._

"_Can I be excused?" Jellybean asks._

"_No! Of course not. You can stay here with your brother until we have the cake and give him his present!" Mom says with a smile that is so fake I can actually hear the tremor behind her voice, waiting for it to crack and shatter out in front of me. Why does everything have to be so god damn scary?_

"_It's okay," I say with a shrug. "Jellybean can go," I assure._

"_No. She can stay here with us and with you, Jug. This is your birthday and your sister should be here like the rest of us are," Mom says._

_Dad slams his beer on the table with a laugh so loud I actually jump up. I lean back in my chair, looking over at him to realize that he did not even notice._

"_Just one big happy family!" Dad says._

"Seriously, Jughead," Betty says. "We should go somewhere, do something special."

"Having sex is special," I say with a grin, squeezing her now clothed shoulder. I pull on the crown on the front of her shirt with a grin that I cannot hide.

"Not what I meant," she says.

"I love it when you wear this shirt," I tell her.

"I know. That's why I wore it."

Betty reaches over to her nightstand, which I guess is partially mine now too and she grabs my hat, putting it on my head and fixing my hair with it, which I find adorable. She has an uncanny ability to make me happy no matter the circumstances.

"I want to tell you something," I say.

"What is it?" she asks.

I clear my throat to get ready to explain because I really don't want this to go like my last birthday did. Though I had some of my best lines, I pushed Betty away because I was being scared and selfish. I can't do that now. We aren't as different as I thought we were but I think I could still manage to hurt her.

"Last year, I freaked out on my birthday and you forgave me," I say.

"Of course, Jug. You explained it. You told me it was because you were scared that I was doing something nice," she says with a nod, putting her hand to the side of my face as she always does.

"It wasn't just that," I tell her. She listens.

_Dad flips his beer over. Oh god no. It spills all over the table, some on my cake and getting onto Jellybean's lap. She jumps up, grabbing a towel from the stove and brushing it on herself. Dad doesn't clean it up. He turns back to the fridge and grabs another one, as if it never happened._

"_Do you want to fix any of this, JP? I mean, we still need to do the cake and the presents!" Mom shouts._

"_We don't have presents!" Dad shouts. "We have a hand me down tee shirt you wrapped in newspaper and a box of pens you stole from a hotel lobby!"_

_I wouldn't have expected anything more but I also didn't think that anyone would say it out loud. Every year we pretend like nothing is wrong and act like our family is perfect. Mom is still trying to do that but Dad is too drunk to realize what day it is or what he is supposed to act like. Jellybean is just caught up in it all and I am the center of it, the reason for the chaos._

"_FP, let's just clean this up," Mom says, putting a towel on the floor and wiping up the beer. I don't move. I can't move. I sit still, staring at the cake with the beer that is soaking up the bottom and the newspaper wrapped presents that are getting wet too. Instead of moving, I look down at the floor._

"_Jughead," Mom says, grabbing my face and making me look at her. "I can fix this. This is going to be a great birthday."_

"It was that everything in my life was bad and terrible except for when I was off on adventures with you guys," I explain, trying to smile. She looks afraid. "But then there was this day where we all sat around the dinning room table and pretended that we liked each other, or that we even liked my birthday. It was awful. Dad drank. Mom tried to fix it. Jellybean was caught up in the mess and I was the center." My voice cracks with pain so I clear my throat again. "I was the reason for all of it. I was the reason for the hate and the chaos."

"You think that it was your fault your family treated you badly?" she asks, brushing her hand under my face.

"Yeah," I say.

"Why?"

"Because I'm weird. I'm a weirdo. I don't fit in and I don't want to fit in," I say.

Betty grabs the side of my face and kisses me hard on the mouth. I grab her around her waist and pull her over me, holding onto her body. She pulls her shirt back off and kisses me more than before.

"And I love that about you," she says. "Whatever you want to do today, whatever you want to talk about, it's all up to you. We don't have to celebrate or we can or we can go to Pop's or stay here or make love all day. Whatever you want, it's yours."

**I'm looking for a couple reviews before I post. I want to know what you guys think of this one!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Jughead and Betty continue his day and his flashbacks. Yes, Betty and Jug are living together. This goes along with what is already happening in season three, as if it's right in the middle of what's going on. (This will be four parts).**

**Jughead POV.**

**Part II.**

"We should get to Pop's," I say, fixing my pants when I realize I look ridiculous.

"Just ten minutes ago you were talking about how you wanted to hang out here all day and now we are dressing up in the best clothes we have and going to Pop's," she says with a smile. "I like this."

"Hey, it was more than ten minutes," I say as she adjusts her dress. I lean over to help her zip it up the rest of the way.

I adjust the suspenders and then try to fix the bowtie but it feels dumb and looks it too. Betty comes over, fiddling with everything that I just tried to fix. But I am sure that it will look much better when she is done with it. It makes me feel much better when she does it.

"Thanks," I mutter.

She reaches up and kisses me once.

"This is really what you want?" she asks.

"Yes," I say. "I promise."

"_Is this what you want?" Dad asks. "A perfect damn day with a perfect family! Oh yeah! This is great, Gladys!"_

"_Just sit down so that we can have a nice dessert!" she shouts back. _

_Both of my parents sit down at the table on either side. Jellybean has a tear running down her face. I reach over and put my hand on her knee. She looks at it and then tries to scoot away because she knows the truth. She doesn't want my comfort because I am the one who caused this. I am the problem here._

_If I were never born, none of this would have ever happened. What is wrong with me? Why do they hate me?_

_Mom cuts the cake and hands out pieces. _

"_There is beer soaked into the bottom of mine," Jellybean says. I take it away from her and give her mine, smiling when I give it to her. She starts eating it but I wonder if she really wants to. She doesn't seem very happy about it. I take a bite and fight the urge to put it back out. It tastes awful and it's soggy. There is definitely something wrong with this one._

"_This isn't right," Dad says, spitting his out onto the plate and then throwing the cake on the floor._

"_What are you doing? It's fine! It's great! Just eat it or don't!" Mom says. "I am sure it's fine. Right Jughead?"_

_I nod._

"_Right."_

Betty holds onto my back tightly as we turn onto Pop's parking lot. We park the bike and I help her off, holding onto her hand all the way in. Archie and Veronica are already there. Then there is Sweet Pea and my dad. That's it and that is more than enough.

"Just for a little while," I whisper to Betty.

"Whatever you want," she assures again.

I love her so much it hurts sometimes. When she tells me that, she really means it. She doesn't want me to do anything that I don't want to and that is the perfect day.

"This is perfect," I say, sitting down in our regular booth. Betty sits beside me, putting her hand to my leg, always connected to me somehow, which makes me feel good.

"I love you," I whisper in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"The usual for the birthday boy?" Pop asks.

I nod.

"Great! It'll be right up!" he says and then turns to Betty. "A vanilla shake and chicken tenders?"

"You know it, Pop," she says.

He was right about it being right up. We get our food within minutes. It's so good and salty and I take down every lick of it. Betty beside me, laughing and smiling as we exchange stories, feel happiness between us all. The best part about it is that no one is talking about my birthday. No one is saying that it needs to be special or that it has to be perfect. No one is yelling at someone else to make it perfect. We are all just enjoying our moments together and it feels so good.

"Hey! I have a toast!" Sweet Pea says, ruining my ideals of not talking about my birthday. It makes me uncomfortable. I grab Betty's hand under the table. She squeezes it, not looking to me so that no one on the outside knows. We squeeze the others hand for a long time.

"_Here's a toast!" Dad says, holding his beer up. "To Jughead! The kid that got us out of high school thirteen years ago."_

_Wow, dad. Thanks._

"_This piece has beer in it too," Jellybean says, picking up her last bite._

"_It's fine," Mom says._

"_It's better that way," Dad says with a grin. "Don't worry, Jellybean. We will get you something just as special when it comes time for your birthday. But this is all about Jughead and how great of a kid he is…a little weird and we might not understand him, but he's ours!"_

_Not understand me? They don't know a single god damn thing about me. They just know I am different. To them that is a bad thing. Different means I don't want to live in a crappy trailer and raise children at sixteen years old. Yeah, thanks for those morals too, Dad. _

"_Now for the presents!" Mom says._

"To Jughead! The king!" Sweet Pea says.

"Short and sweet," I whisper to Betty, holding up my mostly empty milkshake to the rest of them and clinging our cups together.

"See? Not so bad," Betty says with a grin.

She's right. These are my real friends. They know what I want and what I need from my birthday.

"I think it's time to go to the next place, Betty," I tell her.

She nods, slapping her hands on the table.

"Pop?" she asks. "Can we get the check? I'm treating Jug to his birthday lunch."

"Oh, I didn't agree to that," I protect.

Pop shrugs. "Doesn't matter. It's on the house for you, Jughead."

Betty turns to me with a smile and then back to the group of friends that she has brought here for me. An hour of talking and laughing with everyone else is perfect for me. I have another idea in mind.

"Well, Jug and I have another event to get to," she says, standing up and taking me with her. I grab her hand.

"Thank you guys for coming," I say. "This was great."

And I actually mean it.

"What now?" Betty asks as I lead her out of Pops with my arm around her shoulders.

"Two words," I say. "Double feature."

**Thanks guys! One more part to this little event! Hope you guys enjoy it! Reviews are welcome and appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the love! Jughead and Betty go to a double feature and then head back home.**

**Jughead POV.**

**Part III.**

"_Come on, kid," Dad says, grabbing my arm and pulling me back away from the door. I try to get away but he pulls me back harder than before._

"_What?" I beg._

"_Just stay here. Your mom made you this great food and then we had a cake…you should stay here and watch some tv with your old man. Maybe play around with Jellybean for a bit," he says. I thought this was my birthday and therefor, I got to decide what I wanted to do. And this is definitely not it. I can't stay here and pretend everything is fine for a second longer._

"_Thirteen," Dad says, with a grin that is actually starting to creep me out. "What a big kid. Ya know, I didn't know we'd get this far, Gladys."_

"_Great, FP. Thanks," she says with a shrug and then turns back to me. "You can go if you want."_

"_Dad says I should stay here. I don't mind if that's what you all really want," I say. But that's not true. I do mind. I don't want to be here with a family that is never okay just because they want me to. I don't want to abandon Jellybean but I can't handle it anymore._

"_Yeah! He should stay!" Dad shouts._

"_Or he can go to the movies with Archie," Mom suggest with a smile that I know will break the second I leave and we will all go back to the family that we were yesterday or every other day, except when it's my birthday._

"_I'm just gonna go," I say and run out the front door. I grab my bike and start riding off, trying not to listen to the sounds of my father yelling or Jellybean crying._

"This is going to be so great! It's been forever since I've seen this movie!" Betty exclaims beside me. I lean down and hold her hand, interlocking our fingers, remembering how good it feels to be loved.

She leans her head on me as we walk into the theater, popcorn and drink in hand. I sit down beside her, trying to keep her hand in mine the entire time. Eventually she tries to pull it away to get some of the popcorn on my knee but I squeeze it, giving away my feelings.

"What is it?" she asks, making me look at her.

I shrug.

"Jug," she says, nudging me. "Isn't this what you wanted? Just the two of us eating popcorn and watching a double feature?"

"Definitely," I say. "This is perfect, Bets."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I was just thinking…when I was thirteen and my parents were fighting and I ran out of the house to go to a double feature with Archie. But they were still fighting when I left and maybe—"

Betty kisses me. I know what she is trying to do but I don't care. I kiss her back, pulling her as close as she can get as I kiss her more. Finally, she pulls away with a blush and a smile on her face that could make any man happy but since it's for me, it makes me the happiest man on earth.

"I love you," I tell her.

"I love you too," she says. "You don't have to think about that now. You're here now. Your family isn't fighting and we're fine, Jug."

She's right. I should stop dwelling on that and just enjoy watching some movies with the best girlfriend ever. I lean closer to her, putting my closest arm around her body. She rests her head on my shoulder and plays with my thumb as the first movie begins.

_Rumble Fish _and _The Outsiders _double feature. I love a good Matt Dillon movie.

_I ride my bike so fast that by the time I am at Archie's house I am sweating through my jacket. I throw my bike on the lawn and knock on the front door. Archie answers with that classic smile on his face that always seems to make things not so bad._

"_Hey," he says. "The movie doesn't start for another hour."_

"_Yeah, I know," I say with a shrug._

"_Things bad at home?" he asks. I try not to answer. I don't really want to answer but if there is anyone in the world that I can talk to this about, it's him. I give him another shrug but he knows the real answer so he opens the door for me to come in. _

"_Come on, Jug," he says. "Let's raid the kitchen."_

_He doesn't mention my birthday. He doesn't say anything about it. I know he knows it is but he doesn't want to make me uncomfortable, which is nice. So we sit down in his kitchen, eating leftover pizza and laughing about some stupid joke that we saw on tv last night and it's perfect. But when the silence comes and I realize that I'll have to go back home eventually, it hits me hard._

"_What's going on?" he asks._

"_They're just jerks," I say with a shrug but he knows it is so much more than that. It's stupid but all of the sudden I really feel like crying on my birthday._

"_What'd they do?" he asks._

"_Ordered Chinese food. Not enough for four people and then pretended like it was some grand meal," I say._

"_You love Chinese food."_

"_They didn't even order orange chicken, dude. It was awful," I say. "Then my dad spilled his beer all over the cake that didn't even have icing on it in the first place! I mean, what is up with this birthday?"_

_Archie actually starts laughing and it makes me angry. What the hell is he laughing about when I am having the worst birthday ever? He realizes in my expression that I am pissed at him and tries to fix it._

"_Dude! Your dad spilled beer on the cake! That would have to be hilarious! Come on, you have to admit that was funny!" he says, throwing his head back._

_Instead of crying, I feel like laughing too._

_So I laugh with him and it isn't so bad. Not so bad at all._

"I love that movie but I think the reason behind the black and white vs color is too advanced even for the makers to understand," Betty says beside me. I don't get it but that is because I am not listening. I am just watching her. I am watching her lips move, her eyes look at me and her hair never out of place. I am watching everything about her and it makes me fall in love so much further than I thought possible.

"You make everything so perfect," I promise her.

She leans over and kisses me. There is just enough time to stretch and get more popcorn before the next movie starts. This is the one I really wanted to see today. Everyone loves a good rumble and maybe a good quote here and there too.

"Every writers dream," Betty says, putting her head against my chest.

"Definitely," I agree, holding her close. "Hey, you want to go home after this?"

"It's your birthday, Jug," she says. "Whatever you want."

**ONE MORE INSTALLMENT LEFT. Thanks for the followers and reviews. You guys are great.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last part of Jughead's birthday! Hope you guys are enjoying it!**

**Thanks!**

**Jughead POV.**

**Part IV.**

Betty has made this day more amazing than I could ever imagine. I had no idea that this was her plan.

"It's your birthday, Jug…whatever you want," she says again, against my ear this time. I grab her around her waist and pull her close to me. We kiss for a long time. I put my hands under her shirt and start to peel it off of her body.

"Jughead," she whispers.

"What? What is it?" I ask, pulling away from her but keeping my trembling hands on her waist.

"It's your birthday…what do you want?" she asks.

What do I want? Her. Anything that she is going to give to me. But mostly, I want her right here, right now. I pull her shirt off and look down at her beautiful body. She is so gorgeous. I reach over and grab her hand, putting it closer to my pants than before.

"Betty," I mumble.

"Anything you want," she says again.

"You know what I want," I beg of her.

Betty gets down on her knees and unbuttons my pants. My hand finds her hair just as I can't think about anything but her mouth.

_"__Hey Juggie!" Betty says, walking into Archie's. "What are you guys up to?"_

_"__Well Jug's dad was being a jerk and it's—" Archie starts._

_"__No big deal cause we were about to go to Pop's," I finish for him. I do not want him telling Betty about my birthday. No one else can know. Just him and me. I wish my parents didn't even know. Sometimes I wish my dad were too drunk to remember. So far, this birthday is a total disaster. I do not need Betty trying to fix it or make it better by doing something that I will hate even more._

_Plus, she probably doesn't care anyway._

_Betty nods and leans on the counter closer to us. I never noticed before but she is growing up. I try not to stare at her but her blonde hair has a little curl on the edge of her face, where her ponytail is not perfectly straight and the pink shirt she is wearing shows more than I thought she had. I lean closer to her. Her smile makes me feel a little better. She catches my eyes and gives me a smile that makes me feel a little bit safer, like my parents might not actually be the end of the world to me._

_"__Can I join you guys?" she asks, talking about Pop's again. I forgot we were even going to go there._

_"__Of course," Archie says with a grin. I never know what is going on between those two but at least right now, we are all best friends, just feeling good. I thought Archie made me feel better, a little bit like I didn't have to worry about anything. But Betty makes me feel like there is nothing to worry about in the first place._

_"__It wouldn't be the three musketeers without you," I tell her. I pull on her. She follows, coming with us toward the door._

_"__Want to walk or take bikes?" Archie asks._

_"__Walk," I say._

_"__Yeah, so Jug can somehow work up more of an appetite than he probably already has," Betty jokes._

"Betty!" I shout, finally coming down from my high.

Betty turns to me, taking my head on her shoulder and putting her hands in my hair as I catch my breath. We stand there for a few seconds, holding onto each other and laying close. She starts brushing her fingers on my back calmly. It's soothing in a way that I didn't know I needed.

"Happy birthday, Jug," she says.

I want to thank her for being with me that way but then decide that she would tell me not to and that she wants to and that she loves making me feel good just like she does every time I try to thank her for that particular act. It makes me smile.

"I love you," I whisper.

I can feel her smile against my bare shoulder. I don't remember how my shirt came off. Then again, I don't remember how my pants came off either so I guess it doesn't matter.

"I love you too," she says.

"I want to be with you," I tell her, pulling away so that I can put my head to hers. Our foreheads fall against each other and we look at each other, breathing heavily, waiting for the other to make a move. I have been with Betty for a long time but every time we have sex, it's almost surprising how good it feels.

_"__Jughead! Betty! Archie!" Pop shouts with a grin. "This is great! I am so glad to see you all in here again! How long has it been?"_

_"__Just a week, Pop," Archie says with a smile._

_We sit down in our usual booth. I slide in to the end of it. Normally, I prop my legs up and Betty sits with Archie on the other side. But not today. Betty smiles and sits next to me. I try not to think much of it but I can't help it. _

_She makes me feel better._

_"__I'm guessing we'll have a couple of shakes?" Pop asks._

_"__And a burger, fries and some onion rings, Pop," I tell him._

_"__Of course," he says. "What about you, Betty?"_

_"__Maybe a chicken sandwich," she says._

_"__Great."_

_Archie is making his order, deciding between two things but I don't care. I am not looking at him. I can't even hear him. I am looking at Betty Cooper. The innocent, beautiful, girl next door. The girl to our boy trio. The dependable girl that we can count on for a good reasonable suggestion or idea. But the same girl that is not afraid to go skinny dipping at the swimming hole with us. The same Betty Cooper who always seems to make us calm._

_"__Jug! Jughead!" Pop says a few times. I hadn't even realized that he was talking to me. I turn to him, trying not to look awkwardly at him when I realize that I was just staring at Betty, our best friend._

_"__Yeah?" I ask._

_"__What kind of milkshake today?"_

_"__I'm feeling chocolate today, Pop," I agree._

_Then Pop is gone, going to put in our order. We all start talking about movies or something silly but it doesn't really matter what we are talking about because as long as we are all here, at this booth, talking at all, I am okay._

_I am going to be okay as long as I have Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper at my side. And maybe with Betty…I might be more than okay._

Betty falls onto my chest. Her lips brush against my neck. I hold my arms around her naked body, keeping her close. I run my hand down her back and in her sweaty hair. It makes me smile to hear her heavy breathing against me. This is what I wanted for my birthday. The love of my life in my arms.

"Betty," I say.

"Hm?" she says against me.

She adjusts herself so that her head is on my chest and her hand is resting on my side.

"I have one more request," I say. "If that's okay."

"Anything you want, Jug," she promises. "It's yours."

"It's kind of a big deal," I say.

"What is it?"

She smiles and leans against me, putting her forearms on my chest so that she can see my expression. I must look nervous but I don't know why. I just thought of it and decided that it needed to come out. I have had her in my life for as long as I can remember and I think it needs to stay that way forever.

"Betty Cooper," I whisper. "I want you and I to stay together forever."

She smiles, gives a short laugh and then nods.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, Juggie," she says. "Of course we will."

**Please write some reviews. I have a one shot waiting that you all will enjoy! **

**Happy birthday Jughead! Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks!**


End file.
